School of Education | University of Wisconsin–Madison
Authors: Mitchell J. Nathan and Suyeon Kim July 2007, 33 pp. Abstract: This descriptive study analyzes instructional conversation in a middle school mathematics class. We set out to investigate how teachers regulate student participation in classroom discussions and how this regulation affects students’ mathematical talk and conceptual reasoning. We examined the cognitive complexity of the …
Elementary-age students bring lots of things to school with them — besides huge backpacks stuffed with supplies. They bring ingenuity, intuitive knowledge, and mathematical insight. They sometimes amaze their teachers with innovative ways to solve problems. When mathematics teachers link classroom instruction to students’ intuitive knowledge, students can go a long way. What is CGI? …
Authors: Richard Halverson, Reid B. Prichett, and Jeffery G. Watson May 2007, 30 pp. Abstract: Formative feedback systems live at the heart of systemic school improvement efforts. Without accurate and timely information on the results of intended interventions, school leaders and teachers fly blind in their efforts to link what they expect to what actually …
Authors: Matthew T. Hora and Susan B. Millar February 2007, 54 pp. Abstract: This report on the SCALE Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) case studies line of work provides preliminary findings about SCALE activities at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. This study focuses on the structural and behavioral dynamics influencing the implementation of the core SCALE …
Authors: Richard Halverson and Christopher N. Thomas February 2007, 22 pp. Abstract: Instructional leadership in K–12 schools is changing dramatically as schools seek to satisfy the demands of high-stakes accountability policies. In this paper, the authors argue that the need to use achievement data effectively pushes instructional leaders to adapt existing structures and expertise to …
Authors: Adam Gamoran and Daniel A. Long December 2006, 27 pp. Abstract: Equality of Educational Opportunity, the 1966 landmark study by James Coleman and colleagues, persists as a seminal source for continuing research on schools and student achievement. Three main findings of the Coleman report are still evident in the U.S. today. In 1966, U.S. …
Author: Anthony Milanowski October 2006, 21 pp. Abstract: Traditionally, U.S. K–12 teachers have expressed little support for performance-based pay. This could be due to negative experiences with subjective performance evaluation, changing district priorities, or recurring budget crises. Alternatively, the personality traits and work values common to those choosing a teaching career may predispose them to …
Authors: Herbert G. Heneman III, Steven Kimball, and Anthony Milanowski October 2006, 21 pp. Abstract: This study explores the construct validity of the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) developed by Tschannen-Moran and Hoy (2001). The psychometric properties of the TSES reported by Tschannen-Moran and Hoy are replicated. Structural equation modeling tested the relationships between …
Authors: Mitchell J. Nathan, Billie Eilam, Suyeon Kim October 2006, 42 pp. Abstract: Learning in a socially mediated context like a classroom places emphasis on the ability of learners to communicate their ideas to others and to achieve shared meaning or intersubjectivity (IS). We take a participatory view of IS, in which both consensual agreement …
Authors: Geoffrey D. Borman and James Benson August 2006, 28 pp. Abstract: This paper describes an independent assessment of the Fast ForWord Language computer-based training program developed by the Scientific Learning Corporation. Previous laboratory research involving children with language-based learning impairments showed strong effects of the Fast ForWord Language program on their abilities to recognize …